Category: Thoughts about writing

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Building Your Vocabulary Using Colour

colour of flower

(Thank you for navigating to my author blog from Instagram.)

Learning the Colour of Things

I’m once again talking about another chapter in Sage Cohen’s book “Fierce on the Page” where she discusses learning the name of things, in a chapter called, “Learn the Name of Things.”

https://youtu.be/oDW8zg4aLaQ

A rose is a rose is a rose…

I purposely chose the featured image to be a subtle image of off-white and beige colours to show you how a writer can use very descriptive colour names to describe what they are seeing. For example, a writer could use these names: white, pearl, alabaster, cream, egg shell, chiffon, linen, and rice to describe the image featured.

When you build your palette of colours, you will see the world with different eyes. A leaf will no longer just be “green”, a leaf will be shades of emerald and forest green. You will now notice a dirt road covered with mud of burnt umber, red clay, and desert sand. The sky will change from cornflower blue in the morning to Atlantis blue in late afternoon.

colour of sky

Choose your colour wisely…

The more you layer colour into your descriptions, the more fun you’ll have. Next time you go into a hardware or paint store, grab some of those coloured strips and add some new colours to your vocabulary. Each month, pick a new set to learn. 

I hope you enjoyed this video. If you like what you’re seeing, comment below, navigate to my author site (click on the button) and subscribe to support me, or just keep coming back. I’d love to know what you think or feel.

Namaste,
CC

P.S. Follow my Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/ccsullivan_writer/ or check out my author website at http://ccsullivan.me/

To check out Sage Cohen’s book Fierce on the Page, you’ll find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Page-Become-Writer-Succeed/dp/1599639939

Flower: Image by photosforyou from Pixabay 

Tracks: Image by Martin Winkler from Pixabay 

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JOURNALING & WRITING⁣

Image by Lisa Fotios, pexels.com

Why do we resist journaling?

We constantly write reminders for ourselves. Send texts, emails, keep notes, and jot down ideas. But I’ll bet a lot of us own journals that remain blank. Yet we buy them with all the right intentions.⁣

Why do I leave mine empty? I ask myself.

I’ve paid for those journals and they look so attractive. I just don’t want to ruin them. —Now, that’s messed up.⁣

Am I afraid of what will come out if I write about it?

It’s possible. But your journals are for you only, so what are you worried about? (If you are worried about other eyes reading, I’d suggest getting a lock box. Anything else and this becomes an entirely different blog subject.)

So, let’s list the five reasons why journaling is a wonderful ritual for everyone.

# 1 — You’ll create a deeper connection to yourself, your mind, your emotional life.
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# 2 — You’ll rediscover your own mind and opinions.
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# 3 — You’ll become more aware of recurring ideas or thoughts.
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# 4 — You’ll find solutions to unresolved problems or issues.⁣
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# 5 — You’ll open up the doorway to creativity and inspiration.

Buy yourself a journal and start journaling.

The journal can be expensive, utilitarian, or one you get at the dollar store.

I had so much trouble writing in those beautifully-designed lined books, I bought a dollar store journal—the kind with that recyclable brown paper. Now, I have no problem with writing all over the pages because I’m not worried about what it looks like. Strange, but it worked for me.
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Begin the ritual of journaling. Once a month, then once a week, every other day, and then on a daily basis. Set the timer (on your phone). Write for five minutes at first, then 10 minutes, then 20, and so forth. Don’t stop your pen from moving, and don’t worry about what you’re writing. Just write.

At least try it.

If you begin with journaling first thing in the morning, it allows you to clear your mind for the rest of the day. If you do it at night, it releases the tensions of the day. Try both and see what works best for you. Obviously, if lunchtime or a break is the only time, then that’s when you’ll do your journaling.

Do you write in a journal?

If you do, let me know how it helps you.⁣

Namaste,
CC

PS – I love journals, so I designed and published my own tarot journal called Your Personal Tarot Journal: An Intuitive Journey. People love it and are using it faithfully each day.

Journaling and writing
©CC Sullivan, 2019

Featured Photos from royalty free sites:
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@pexels
@unsplash⁣
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Fruitflesh… and Setting The Mood

Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write by Gayle Brandeis. I’ve had this book for a while on my shelf and so I grab it (finally) and open it up. I’ve spent the last few months working, writing, living, and not writing this blog. So I figured I’d come back to my blog today… with a fresh start.

The first entry of Fruitflesh just happens to be my favourite so far. I hope the author will not mind me posting this entry. I find it extremely inspiring.

Page 13: Fruitflesh Meditation: Mango

Hold a mango in your hand, Notice how solid it feels, rooted firmly in its own skin. The flesh inside is incredibly sexy—moist and slick, saturated with shades of sunset and intense, ambrosial flavor. The mango is wild but centred, its seed supportive as a spine.

Slice off a wedge of mango. Bend the fruit back, like a neck arched in pleasure. Explore the sweet flesh with your tongue, your teeth. Devour the fruit until your whole face is slippery with its juice.

Let your writing be like this feast—bold, sensual, unapologetic. Enter into it fully, with your whole body, without hesitation.

Gayle Brandeis

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Whenever I read this first passage, I want to dive into writing the way I would dive into eating this fruit. Messy, dripping, sticky, sweet. There’s no stopping to wipe my fingers because the next bite just saturates my fingers all over again. There’s no point. I have to go through from start to finish enjoying the process without stopping. By the end, there’s  a gooey mess all over my hands and face. And when it comes to the end, I feel that same disappointment as when I have to stop writing. Real life. And, with the fruit, the process of cleaning up the mess.

I’m back.

CC

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Where’s the Emotion? Adding heart-rending scenes at strategic points in your story…

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/writerstrong-getting-fresh-emotion-on-the-page/ — by Laura Drake

Here’s another article that you should keep under your belt when you’re writing. Keep in mind those emotions that usually grip us at — what could seem — strategic moments in our daily lives making our own stories an interesting roller-coaster ride in themselves. Try to remember some of those key moments in your life and put them to paper to use in your stories to keep emotions real and alive.

I love these kinds of articles that jog your mind. My reaction is always, “Wow. I was so busy writing my story that I forgot that using emotion is crucial to any story.” Readers either want to relive emotions they have felt before or want to experience emotions they would hope never to have to go through and live vicariously through another so that they can get that understanding without hurting themselves.

In short, a reader wants to lose themselves in some other story! Anger, sadness, frustration, elation, love, apathy, fear — they want to feel all of those things through your characters.

It’s a another part of show, don’t tell — let your readers feel, don’t tell them how they should be feeling.

Well, folks, I’m off to write some notes and must remember to do this in my own writing.

G’day, CC

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What’s the Visual? Adding Power To Your Writing.

What’s the Visual? Adding Power To Your Writing..

Here is another very good article by Margie Lawson on adding descriptive power to your writing. These are the kind of articles to keep in your repository to remind you that writing is a powerful vehicle that can be used to enter the reader’s mind.

Show, don’t tell.

 

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Burble (bûrbl)

Word of the Week

Burble. I like the way this word sounds – like a babbling brook. It is a word you read or write down but not necessarily a word you would use in every day language. It’s a combination of gurgle and bubble, and sounds like a phonetic description of the sound that comes out when someone is excited and bubbling over with words. When you read this word, you have to stop and enjoy the sound it makes in your mind. There are some words that do that to me, and this is definitely one of them!

— Go to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/burble for the full definition.

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A Paradigm Shift to… Putting Yourself First

Tamarindo Beach

There is a really good book called The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, in which she mentions that one of the important things to do is to set an artist’s date with yourself, at least once a week. It is a book about reigniting the inner artist in yourself. Simply, it means that it is important to take time for yourself, to awaken the side of you that you might put away in front of others, family, loved ones.

I read this somewhere recently: “There are two kinds of people in the world – those who walk into a room and say, ‘There you are!’ – and those who say, ‘Here I am!’ ” – Abigail Van Buren

I had a good chuckle when I read this. This isn’t about that.

Now, Putting Yourself First is important in the “You put the breathing mask on yourself first so that you can help the person next to you” kind of way. Many people live for the sake of others: Doing things that other people think is right for them; and helping others whom they think need help, and so on. Things to do, places to be, people to see… you know the motto.

Essentially the body and mind need time to re-assimilate to its surroundings and that means with little things such as, getting back to nature – we live in such a technological world now that it is hard to tear away from the mobile phone, the laptop, the iPad, or the TV. The body needs to rest to revitalize itself.

The mind also needs time to recuperate from all the external messages that it receives – and frankly, there has never been an age where we are bombarded with constant information on a daily basis. (There are days when I just keep going and going and then suddenly I hit a wall and think “OMG I have just reached my point of OVERLOAD – and I literally have to stop.) So step away from the techno babble and just relax with a book, or take a drive in your car to the country, venture a stroll in the park, or just sit and do nothing but daydream.

It is all about keeping the balance within yourself because if you don’t – your body and your mind will tell you anyway. I always think that when I hear people saying (or myself thinking or feeling) – I’m tired, I’ve had enough, I don’t feel like doing anything – that’s when you know that you have reached that point and need to Put Yourself First.

The body is like a barometer and if you listen to it carefully, it will tell you exactly what it needs.

Have a great restful weekend, respectfully, CC

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Coffee in hand and writing…

It’s Saturday morning and I have my coffee in hand and writing.

I recently joined a site called Goodreads.com and am featured as an Author on that site (yeay!) I am really beginning to like that site and I find it exciting to see so many authors, books and readers that are featured.

If you are interested in reading, paper or e-format, that is the site to begin listing the books that you’ve read, or written, and connect with other readers or authors. The site will recommend your next books based on what you like to read.

I have been so busy, and going away, that I need to catch up with my writing. I did some this morning and also had to put time aside to do a bit of marketing. I definitely find the writing part much more enjoyable than the marketing part of it. However, the marketing part of it also gets me in touch with other writers, and sites. Anything to get me away from writing.

So, I’m going to keep this one short and get back to writing my second installment this morning. I may be back later to update my Ten Paradigms of Writing. Today’s will be A Paradigm Shift of… Putting Yourself First.

Don’t you find sometimes that there aren’t enough hours in a day?

G’day,

CC

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Back from Costa Rica and Back to Writing…

Tamarindo

I have not been consistent lately with updating my writing blog. I have to be honest: I was overdoing it, overloaded with work, and just got to a point where I felt completely drained. I went to Costa Rica (with the love of my life) for a week and just took it easy.

We arrived in San Jose and rented a car and drove 4 1/2 hours to Tamarindo. We experienced the country firsthand from the road. Costa Rican drivers are a little crazy and pedestrians walk on the road: a dangerous feat, especially at night. But, we made it to our destination in one piece without taking out any Costa Ricans on the way. The resort was welcoming and like an oasis in the Costa Rican night.

We rested, did some house hunting, and read by the swimming pool. In the evenings, we strolled along the beach watching surfers take advantage of the last waves. The weather was tremendous; the food was delicious; the people were gracious and friendly. It was the perfect environment in which to unwind.

On Saturday, we left early, deposited our rental car at the local aeropuerto. (See photo below.) We waited patiently for our plane. It would take us to San Jose, to avoid us having to do the drive back.

(Does it look like a field? it is.)

We got into our plane (below).

You’re thinking “What’s that?” Well, okay, I’m just kidding. We got into this other plane… (See below and please note the dog lying on the walkway to the landing strip.)

And we were off to San Jose. The flight took 45 minutes compared to what would have been another 4 1/2 hours of driving. We were relieved — and so what if it was a single propeller plane? The flight was safe and secure and we got to see some of this…

 

 

We followed the same path that we had taken by car and landed safely in San Jose – rolled our suitcases a couple of (short) blocks to San Juan Santamaria airport. It was right next door to the other smaller airport.

Everything was so easy!

So, for now, we are back to our reality… and look forward to doing this trek again soon!

CC

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A Paradigm Shift to… Engage in Your Life

Now that we’ve gotten past the ‘passive’ paradigm shifts on the inner approaches to writing… let’s move on to the ‘active’ paradigms.

Engage in your life!

In order to keep your imagination active, it must be fed. The fodder for your imagination is in your real life. There is nothing weirder, crazier, more horrifying, or more amazing than real life. There’s some stuff you just can’t make up. You look at it, you twist it around, you try to explain it, you want to make sense of it, and then you say to yourself, “You just can’t make that kind of shit up!”

Some events are like that. And, those are the events that you want to take note of and share with others, the ones that make you think, “There’s no way that really happened!”

So, engage in your life. The writing part will come anyway because you just can’t help yourself. You need to step back from the madness and put it down to paper. Engaging in your life, getting out there, watching what goes on in the world, keeping your ear to the ground, and being active (physically or mentally) are all part of keeping your imagination alive.

Keeping this one short to engage in my life a little! 🙂

G’day

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